Chimichurri Cucumber Noodles with Shrimp, Avocado & Hearts of Palm

Chimichurri cucumber noodles are fantastic on their own, but when you add creamy avocado, shrimp and hearts of palm, you have a magical summertime dinner recipe. Thank you to the California Avocado Commission for helping me to share this recipe with you.

I will take any excuse I can get to buy fresh flowers for the table. It always seems like such a splurge, but now that we live about a mile away from Trader Joe’s, buying a four dollar bouquet of flowers fits well within the budget. Sunflowers seemed like the perfect cheerful summertime addition to my table setting. Have you heard of “Dinner en Blanc” dinner parties, where hosts and guests dress in white and sit down to a fancy meal? Since we’re talking California avocados, this meal made the switch to “Dinner en Green”.

Out came the green canning jars to hold the sunflowers, paired with green goblets and a green striped table runner. Most importantly, I made “dinner en green”-inspired cucumbers noodles with creamy avocado, seared shrimp and sliced hearts of palm, all tossed with a very green, very tasty chimichurri dressing.

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A couple of tricks for this recipe. As with any shrimp recipe, the most important thing is sear the shrimp (hot pan) until just cooked. Overcooking them will render them tough and rubbery. A good rule of thumb is to remove the shrimp from the pan just before you think they are done. The chimichurri dressing is based on the traditional Argentinian sauce, and explodes with the flavor of fresh herbs, garlic and tangy vinegar.

For the cucumber noodles, I used the spiralizer attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. However, there are a couple of countertop spiralizers available that are really good, such as this one and this one.

California avocados are at their peak right now, creamy and flavorful. That’s exactly why I’ve been eating them at every turn – with eggs, on crostini and even in ice cream. Of course, there is nothing better than eating half of a salt-sprinkled avocado with a spoon. That being said, they are the perfect accompaniment for the flavors and textures of these cucumber noodles.

Be sure to serve these cucumber noodles right away, as they tend to accumulate liquid and soften if left to sit for too long. If you would like to prepare most of the recipe ahead of time, cook the shrimp, spiralize the cucumber and add the hearts of palm. Just before serving, add the chopped avocado and toss the noodles with the dressing.

Other healthy avocado recipes:

Cookin’ Canuck’s Roasted Tomato & Avocado Crostini
Cookin’ Canuck’s Vegetable Hand Roll (Temaki) with Avocado Wasabi Yogurt
Running to the Kitchen’s Asian Steak Stuffed Grilled Avocados
I Wash You Dry’s Avocado Pesto Pasta
Dine & Dish’s Healthy Veggie Avocado Lettuce Cups

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I’ll be sure to find it.

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Chimichurri Cucumber Noodles with Shrimp, Avocado & Hearts of Palm

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 2 mins

Total Time 22 mins

Chimichurri Cucumber Noodles with Shirmp, Avocado and Hearts of Palm…The flavors meld together so well in this healthy, fresh recipe! 245 calories and 6Weight Watchers SmartPoints

Yields Serves 4

Ingredients

• 10 oz. large, raw shrimp, peeled & tails removed
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground pepper
• 1 English cucumber (5 cups noodles)
• 3/4 California avocado, peeled & chopped
• 6 oz. hearts of palm, sliced

The dressing

• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp + 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Directions

1. Place the shrimp in a medium bowl. Toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until just cooked through, about 1 minute per side. Transfer the shrimp to a plate.
3. Cut the ends off of the cucumber, and cut the cucumber crosswise into 3 pieces. Run the cucumber through the spiralizer to produce noodles. With kitchen shears cut the noodles into slightly smaller pieces.
4. In a serving bowl, combine the cucumber noodles, shrimp, avocado and hearts of palm. Toss with the dressing. Serve immediately.

The dressing:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the dressing ingredients. Process until well combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.

by From the kitchen of cookincanuck.com

Recipe Notes

Weight Watchers Points: 6 (SmartPoints), 7 (Points+), 6 (Old Points)

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by the California Avocado Commission as part of their blogger ambassador program. All opinions are my own. This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!